Air distributing duct, including a damper means



July 1, 1947. F. J. KURTH ET AL 2,423,241

AIR DISTRIBUTING DUCT INCLUDING DAMPER MEANS Filed June 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l (I l \2 b l Q Q g x A '& l i i E QT w: 5 $9 8 I CQJ N 3W0 i m 'Tnmz Jicurth,

IWledrichHonerkam b flerbertlfiliiunen/ k e m m/Lav July 1, 1947. F. J. KURTH ETAL 2,423,241

AIR'DISTRIBUTING DUCT INCLUDING DAMPER MEANS Filed June 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H'rbert l'filfzlnerv,

Patented July 1, 1947 am DISTRIBUTING DUCT, INCLUDING! DAMPER MEANS Franz J. Kurth, Friedrich Honerkamp, and Herbert K. Kunen, New York, N. Y., asslgnors to Anemostat Corporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 5, 1943, Serial No. 489,826

(Cl. era-40) Claims. 1

This invention relates to ventilating apparatus,

and has particular reference to apparatus for supplying fresh or treated air to long, narrow rooms or enclosures such, for example, as railway cars, buses, the cabins of aircraft and the like.

, One special and important object of the invention is .to provide apparatus embodying simple, practical means to effect diffused supply of fresher treated air in any desired total amount to a long, narrow enclosure either uniformly throughout the length of the enclosure or in different amounts at different points along the length thereof.

Another special and important object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character stated embodying a combination of air-supplycontrol elements arranged relatively to each other so that at any location along the length of the apparatus the delivered air may be directed in different amounts in different directions from the apparatus.

According to the invention an air supply duct extends throughout, or substantially throughout, the length of an enclosure, preferably at or near the top and midway between the sides thereof, and is provided with longitudinally extending rows of openings controlled by slide-pieces for regulating delivery of air therefrom, and in this connection another special object of the invention is to form said duct in separate sections and to provide means to detachably connect the sections together in end to end relationship so that any given section may readily and easily be removed and replaced without disturbing any other section, thus to facilitate initial installation of the duct and subsequent repair or replacement of any given section thereof.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in ventilating apparatus embodying the-novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a representative portion of a ventilating apparatus constructed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on an enlarged 2 scale taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1-

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally in Fig. 1 a short-length portion of an air supply duct which may be of any desired cross sectional size and shape and of any desired over-all length and which preferably, but not necessarily, is composed of separate sections a of any desired length connected together in end to end relationship.

While the duct A may have any desired location in a long, narrow enclosure with which it is understood to be associated, it preferably is located midway, or approximately midway, between the sides of the enclosure and either at or near the top thereof or at least at a suitable elevation above the bottom thereof. In any event, said duct extends longitudinally of the enclosure, either from end to end thereof, or throughout any desired portion of the length thereof, and is provided either throughout its length, or through out any desired portion of its length, with numerous small openings in for the outlet of air therefrom into the enclosure.

The openings ill are illustrated in the drawings as being of circular shape and of equal size. They may, however, be of any other shape and may differ in size. In any event, they preferably, although not necessarily, are arranged in parallel, spaced apart rows extending longitudinally of the duct A and are confined to the bottom or such other part of said duct as faces the main area of the enclosure to be ventilated.

Since the duct A is presumed for purposes of this description to belocated midway between the sides and at or near the top of a long, narrow enclosure to be ventilated, the openings iii are illustrated as being confined to the bottom portion of said duct.

The number of rows of the openings i0 is arbitrary, but there are a sufficient number of said rows, and at least that portion of the duct A to which they are confined is of such cross sectional shape, that discharge of air from said duct through said openings is in different directions transversely with respect to the duct and the enclosure. In this connection, the duct A is illustrated in the drawing as being of circular 3 shape in cross section and as having four rows of openings In in the segmental bottom portion thereof, two to either side of the central,,ver tical, longitudinal plane thereof. Due to the curvature of the said segmental bottom portion of said duct the axes of the openings ll! of the different rows flare downwardly and outwardly relative to one another. Thus, air discharged through the openings of the two innermost rows flows slightly outwardly but generally downwardly, while air discharged through the openings of the two outermost rows flows more pronouncedly outwardly and to a lesser extent downwardly, depending, of course, upon the diameter of the duct A and the distances that the respective rows of the openings ID are spaced outwardly from the central, vertical, longitudinal plane of said duct. Alternatively, one row of the openings i may be disposed in the central, vertical, longitudinal plane of the duct for the delivery of some air directly downwardly therefrom, while to either, side of said plane said duct may be provided with any desired number of additional rows of openings for the delivery of air more or less laterally outwardly therefrom. Alternatively. too, instead of that portion of the duct to which the openings I ii are confined being,

in cross section, in the form of a segment of a circle, it obviously may be composed, in cross section, of a number of flat portions or facets disposed in angular relationship to each other and respectively having the different rows of openings therein to serve the same purpose as said segmental portion with respect to delivery of the air in different directions downwardly and outwardly from the duct,

Individual to each row of the openings I0 is a valve in the form of a long, narrow slide-piece II for regulating the effective areas of said openings and thereby regulating the amount of air which flows through them. These slide-pieces may be disposed either interiorly or exteriorly of the duct A, but preferably they are disposed interiorly of said duct as shown. In any event, each slide piece. is disposed against the duct A in alinement with the related row of openings l0 and is suitably mounted for longitudinal sliding movement relative to said duct.

The slide-pieces ll preferably are formed from sheet metal or other suitable sheet material and they are at least as wide as the openings and as long as the rows of said openings. If the duct A is not composed of separate sections a, but is composed of a single, continuous length of conduit, there may be either a single slide-piece or a plurality of slide-pieces related to each row of the openings l0 to vary the effective areas thereof. If, on the other hand, the duct A is composed of separate sections a, as is preferred, there preferably is a single slide-piece individual to each row of openings [0 of each duct section. In other words, if theduct A is composed of separate sections a, each section, in itself, is a complete air supply unit from which the delivery of air may be regulated entirely independently of any other section or unit.

In'each slide-piece I l is a plurality of openings l2 which are disposed in a row extending longitudinally of the slide-piece and which preferably areof the same size and shap as the openings Ill of the related row of the latter openings. The number of openings l2 in each slide-piece is equal to the number of openings l0 in the related row of the latter openings. Likewise, the spaced apart relationship of the openings H in each slide-- piece is the same as the spaced apart relationship of the openings ill of the related row of the latter openings, the said spaced apart relationship of said openings in and I! being at least as great as the diameters or lehgths of said openings. Thus, by longitudinal sliding adjustment of any given slide-piece I l, the openings l2 therein may be either completely alined with, or only partly alind with, or completely disalined from, the openings III of the related row of the latter openings, thereby either to regulat the amount of air delivered from the duct A through the openings iii of the said related row or to completely close the openings in of the said related row against .any flow of air through the same from the duct A.

Accordingly, it is manifest, that by individual manipulation of the slide-pieces Ii, not only the total volume of air delivered from the duct A may be controlled, but whatever the total volume of the delivered air may be, its direction of discharge from said duct may likewise be controlled. It will further be manifest that if the duct A is composed of separate sections or units a each having slide-pieces ll individual thereto, the said slide pieces of the different sections or units may be adjusted so that different amounts of air may be delivered in different directions from the duct A at different locations along the length thereof. In other words, the present apparatus obviously provides for delivering more or less air to any particular portion of a long, narrow enclosure with which it is associated.

While the slide-pieces ll may be simply flat strips of sheet metal or any other suitable sheet material, and while any suitable means may be employed to hold them in assembly with the duct A and to guide them in their sliding movements, they preferably are flanged at their sides, as indicated at i3, and preferably they are retained in assembly with the duct A or the duct sections a. as the case may be, by guide strips M which may be riveted, welded or otherwise suitably secured to said duct or said duct sections and which have channel formations l5 embracing the flanges t3. Thus, the slide-pieces are stiffened so that they do not tend to buckle under pushing adjusting forces imposed thereon and, at the same time, they are guided for free and easy sliding move ments. Moreover, because the guide strips 14 may be secured tightly against the duct or the duct sections, as the case may be, and may hold the slide-pieces H tightly yet slidably against the duct or the duct sections, and because of the channel formations l5 embracing the flanges iii, any undesirable escape of air beneath the slidepieces and through the openings ill, particularly when said slide-pieces are in positions closing said openings ill, is effectively prevented.

The slide-pieces ll may be provided with any suitable handle means for finger engagement to facilitate effecting sliding adjustments of said slide pieces and securing them in desired adjusted positions. In this connection and as illustrated by way of example in the drawings, each slide piece has riveted or otherwise suitably fastened thereto, at each end thereof, a nut element l6 into which is threaded a screw I! which extends through a related slot I8 in the duct A or the duct section a, as the case may be, and which is provided exteriorly of the duct or duct section with a suitable handle or knob I9 and with a suitable shoulder for engagement with the outer face of the duct or duct section. By rotating the handles or knobs l9 to loosen the screws l1 the slide piece is freed for longitudinal adjustment through the instrumentality of said handles or .knobs,

while by rotating the handles or knobs I! to tighten the screws II the slide-piece I I is clamped against the duct or the duct section and thereby is securely held against accidental movement bined pushing and pulling forces to be exerted thereon to facilitate adjustments thereof.

If desired, plates '20 maybe secured to the duct A or to the duct sections a, as thecase may be, exteriorly thereof, and may extend longitudinally thereof contiguously to the respective row of openings I0, and may be disposed at desired angles to the duct or the duct sections, to deflect the air delivered through said openings III in any desired directions from the duct or the duct sections. Obviously, if such deflector plates are employed it is not essential that the openings III of the respective rows be disposed with their axes in diverging relationship to each other. On the contrary, the bottom or other portion of the duct to which the openings II) are confined may be flat, the axes of the openings ll) of the different rows of said openings may be parallel to each other and dependence may be placed in the deflector plates 20 to direct the air in desired directions from the duct.

Also, if desired, that portion of the duct A, or those portions of the duct sections a, to which the openings I0 and the slide-pieces II are confined, may be formed separately from the remaining portion or portions of said duct or of said duct sections, as the case may be, to facilitate and minimize the cost of manufacture of the apparatus.

If the duct A is composed of a plurality of separate sections or units a, any suitable means may be employed to secure said sections or units together in end to end relationship to each other. In this connection and as illustrated by way of example, in the drawings, adjacent ends of the duct sections a may have suitable rings 2| secured thereto exteriorly thereof, and split clamp bands 22 of channel form in cross section may be provided to overlap the adjacent ends of the sections a and to embrace the rings 2|. Thus, the sections a may be held securely in assembly with one another and yet if the occasion should arise for removal of any given section for any purpose, this may readily be effected simply by removing the clamp bands 22 at the ends thereof.

Regarding the slide-pieces I I, it will be noted that when any one of the same is in a position in which the openings I2 therein are fully registered with the Openings ill of the related row of the latter openings, it is longitudinally slidable in either direction either to decrease the effective areas of said openings or to fully close the same. This is important because it has been found in practice that if a slide-piece II is shifted in one direction to partly disaline the openings I2 therein fromthe related openings III, the air delivered through the partly, alined openings I2, I0 takes a direction, not perpendicularly with respect to the duct, but more or less longitudinally with respect thereto in one direction, while if the slidepiece is shifted in the opposite direction to partly disaline said openings I2, I 0, the delivered air takes a direction more or less longitudinally in the opposite direction with respect to the duct. Accordingly, the fact that the slide-pieces II are shiftable in either direction to disaline the openings I2, II represents another provision for controlling the directions of discharge of air from, the duct.

Obviously, because of the provision of a multiplicity of small holes in the duct for flow of air therefrom, the total volume of air delivered from the duct at any given time flows therefrom in more or less diffused form. However, it is desired to point out in this connection that the. duct, or the duct sections, as the case maybe, may be provided with elongated slots in lieu of rows of spaced apart openings, and that, regardless of whether said duct, or said duct sections, as the case may be, is, or are, provided with rows of openings or slots, the slide pieces for varying the effective areas of said rows -of openings or slot and thereby regulating flow of air therethrough may, if desired, be laterally adjustable instead of longitudinally adjustable to accomplish their purpose. Moreover, it will be apparent in this connection that the rows of openings or slots in the duct or, the duct sections, instead of, or

in addition to extending longitudinally of said duct or duct sections, may, if desired, extend transversely of said duct or duct sections and that in such case the slide pieces may be adjustable either transversely or longitudinally relative to the duct or the duct sections to vary the effective areas of said openings or slots.

If desired, any suitable means may be provided within the duct to deflect the air flowing therethrough toward the openings l2, Ill.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed the features and the advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only a single specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of embodiment in specifically different structures within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Ventilating apparatus comprising an air supply duct having therein a plurality of air outlet openings arranged in rows spaced apart transversely of the duct and extending longitudinally therealong, means to cause the air streams discharged from the duct through the openings of the respective rows to flow from the duct in diverging relationship to each other transversely with respect to the duct, a slide-piece individual to and alined with each row of said openings and having therein a row of openings corresponding in number and spaced apart relationship to the openings of the related row in the duct, and means mounting each slide-piece against the duct for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto to aline and disaline its openings with and from the openings of the related row in the duct, thereby to vary the effective areas of the latter openings.

2. Ventilating apparatus comprising an air supply duct having therein a plurality of air outlet openings arranged in rows spaced apart transversely of the duct and extending longitudinally therealong, means to cause the air streams discharged from the duct through the openings of the respective rows to fiow from the duct in diverging relationship to each other transversely with respect to the duct, a slidepiece individual to and alined with each row of said openings and having therein a row of openings corresponding in number and spaced apart relationship to the openings of the related row in the duct, means mounting each slide-piece against the duct for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto to aline and disaline its openings with and from the openings of the related row in the duct, thereby to vary the effective areas 'of the latter openings, and handle means for eflecting sliding adjustments of said slide-pieces and for fastening them in diflerent adjusted positions.

3. Ventilating apparatus comprising an air supply duct having therein a plurality of air outlet openings arranged in rows spaced apart transversely of the duct and extending longitudinally therealong, means to cause the air streams discharged from the duct through the openings of the respective rows to flow from the duct in diverging relationship to each other transversely with respect -to the duct, a slide-piece individual to and alined with each row of said openings and havin therein a row of openings corresponding in number and spaced apart relationship to the openings of the related row in the duct, means mounting each slide-piece within the duct against the inner face thereof for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto to aline and disaline its openings with and from the openings of the related row in the duct, thereby to vary the effective areas of the latter openings, the duct having a slot therein alined with each slidepiece, and a handle individual to each slide-piece disposed exteriorly of the duct and havin a shoulder to engage the exterior of the duct and also having a shank extending through the related slot and in threaded engagement with a fixed part of the slide-piece whereby it is shiftable to longitudinally adjust the slide-piece and is rotatable to fasten the slide-piece in any adjusted position thereof.

4. Ventilating apparatus comprising an air supply duct having therein a plurality of air outlet openings arranged in rows spaced apart transversely of the duct and extending longitudinally therealong, means to cause the air streams discharged from the duct through the openings of the respective rows to flow from the duct in diverging relationship to each other transversely with respect to the duct, a plurality of slide-pieces within the duct one individual to each row of said openings and having therein a row of opening corresponding in number and spaced apart relationship to the openings of the related row in the duct, each slide-piece having its side portions turned inwardly to provide flanges, guide-strips fastened to the .duct and having channel portions embracing said slidepiece flanges to hold the slide-pieces against the inner face of the duct for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto to aline and disaline their openings with and from the openings of the related rows in the duct, and mean exposed exteriorly of the duct for manipulation to effect longitudinal sliding movements of said slidepieces.

5. Ventilating apparatus comprising an air supply duct having therein a plurality of air outlet openings arranged inrows spaced apart transversely of the duct and extending longitudinally therealong, a plurality of slide-pieces adjacent to each row of said openings and each individual to only a single group of openings in one of said rows lesser than the whole number of openings in such row for varying the effective areas of its related group of openings independently of the openings of any other group in the same row and independently of the openings of any group in any other row, each slide-piece having therein openings for alinement with and disalinement from the openings of the related group in the duct by sliding movement of the slide-piece longitudinally with respect to the duct, and means mounting said slide-pieces for longitudina1 sliding movement independently of each other with respect to the duct.

FRANZ J, KURTH. FRIEDRICH HONERKAMP. HERBERT K. KUNEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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